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''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The programmes are broadcast live from locations around the country in a primetime evening slot on BBC Two. They require a crew of 100 and over 50 cameras, making them the BBC's largest British

outside broadcast Outside broadcasting (OB) is the electronic field production (EFP) of television or radio programmes (typically to cover television news and sports television events) from a mobile remote broadcast television studio. Professional video camera a ...

events. Many of the cameras are hidden and operated remotely to record natural behaviour, for example, of birds in their nests and badgers outside their sett. Bank Holiday (the last Monday in May) and is broadcast four nights each week for three weeks. After the success of the first ''Springwatch'' in 2005, the BBC commissioned a one-off special, ''Autumnwatch'', which became a full series in 2006. ''Winterwatch'' began in 2012, broadcast in January or February. The ''Springwatch'' brand has expanded to incorporate further TV spin-offs and specials, and also has a strong online presence. The BBC ''Springwatch'' website offers further video content and allows viewers and programme makers to interact through a

message board An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and profession ...

photography group,

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

s and the @BBCSpringwatch and @BBCAutumnwatch

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

accounts. The executive producer of the three programme strands is Rosemary Edwards (before 2018: Tim Scoones, series launch to 2008 and 2012: Fiona Pitcher) and the score was composed by

David Poore David Nicholas Poore (born 2 December 1966) is a British independent musician, who has composed and produced music for over 200 films by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Disney, PBS, National Geographic, RTÉ and other broadcasters. Education Poore ...

. Programmes are made by the

BBC Natural History Unit The BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of BBC Studios that produces television, radio and online content with a natural history or wildlife theme. It is best known for its highly regarded nature documentaries, including '' ...

, but were originally commissioned by

BBC Learning {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 BBC Learning can refer to the following: * A department of the BBC North Group division (formerly part of Interactive Factual and Learning), part of BBC Television * The portal website created by BBC Learning * A w ...

with the aim of getting viewers to actively participate in wildlife conservation.

Bill Oddie William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinto ...

Kate Humble Katherine Mary Humble (born 12 December 1968) is an English television presenter and narrator, mainly working for the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science programmes. Humble served as President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Bi ...

and Simon King were the presenting team until 2008. Oddie departed as a regular host at the beginning of 2009 (though not by his own choice), to be replaced by

Chris Packham Christopher Gary Packham CBE (born 4 May 1961) is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the CBBC children's nature series '' The Really Wild Show'' from 1986 ...

Martin Hughes-Games Martin Hughes-Games (born 16 April 1956) is a natural history programme producer, presenter and author. He is best known for co-presenting the BBC magazine-style nature series ''Springwatch'' and its spin-offs, ''Winterwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' ...

, formerly a ''Springwatch'' producer, also joined the team in 2009. In September 2010, King left the presenting team to pursue other projects.

Michaela Strachan Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan (born 7 April 1966) is an English television presenter and singer. Early life Born in Ewell, Surrey, Strachan grew up in Hinchley Wood and attended Chadsworth Stage School, then Claremont Fan Court School, both i ...

filled in for Humble during ''Autumnwatch 2011'', reuniting her with Packham, her former co-host on ''

The Really Wild Show ''The Really Wild Show'' is a long-running British television show about wildlife, broadcast by the BBC as part of their CBBC service to children. It also runs on Animal Planet in the US. The show was broadcast each year from 21 January 1986. I ...

''. When Humble left after ''Springwatch 2012'', Strachan became her permanent replacement. Strachan flies in from Cape Town South Africa to present the show.

Gillian Burke Gillian Burke (born ) is a natural history television programme producer and voiceover artist, and has been a co-presenter of the BBC nature series ''Springwatch'' and its spin-offs since 2017. Career Burke studied biology at Bristol Univers ...

became a regular presenter in 2017, and for ''Winterwatch 2019'' the presenters were joined by

Iolo Williams Iolo Tudur Williams (; ; born 22 August 1962) is a Welsh ornithologist, nature observer, television presenter and author, best known for his BBC and S4C nature programmes, working in both English and his first language of Welsh. After a 14-year ...

, who had previously been a field reporter. Other regular contributors include cameraman and presenter

Gordon Buchanan Gordon John Buchanan (born 10 April 1972) is a Scottish wildlife filmmaker and presenter. His work includes the nature documentaries '' Tribes, Predators & Me'', '' The Polar Bear Family & Me'' and '' Life in the Snow''. Early life Buchanan wa ...

and sound recordist Chris Watson, who has occasionally appeared on-screen to describe his working methods.

Forerunners

Natural history programmes began as live outside broadcasts on BBC television in the early 1950s, when West Region's only television equipment was a mobile camera unit. The origins of ''Springwatch'' can be traced back to the 1970s, when the development of image-intensifying cameras enabled animals to be filmed in the dark. In May 1977, two remote-controlled cameras and a series of

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

lamps were installed outside a

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

sett in the Cotswolds. The Natural History Unit broadcast the first live images of wild badgers during a week-long television event called ''Badgerwatch''. Although each programme was only 10 minutes long, it created the template on which ''Springwatch'' and all the intervening series have been based, a format which has developed and expanded as technology has improved. ''Badgerwatch'' was followed by ''Birdwatch'', broadcast annually throughout the 1980s and presented by Tony Soper, initially from locations around Britain including

Slimbridge Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England. It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's WWT Slimbridge, Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott. Canal and Patch Bridg ...

, Minsmere, the

River Exe The River Exe ( ) in England rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 mile ...

, the

Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.

and

Martin Mere Martin Mere is a mere near Burscough, in Lancashire, England, on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around that was, until it was drained, the largest body of fresh water in England. History Martin Mere was formed ...

. Later series were filmed in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, the Netherlands and the

Camargue Camargue (, also , , ; oc, label= Provençal, Camarga) is a region of France located south of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône delta. The eastern arm is called the ''Grand Rhône''; the western one is the '' ...

. In 1988 came ''Reefwatch'', the first ever live underwater broadcast shown on British and American television. It was anchored by Soper, with divers Martha Holmes and

Mike deGruy Michael V. deGruy (December 29, 1951 – February 4, 2012) was an American documentary filmmaker specializing in underwater cinematography. His credits include ''Life in the Freezer'', '' Trials of Life'', ''The Blue Planet'' and ''Pacific Abyss ...

presenting during the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

dive using bubble helmets (another TV first). The BBC broadcast further live series from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

with ''Africawatch'' (1989) and ''Flamingowatch'' (1995). Bill Oddie and Simon King joined forces for the first time to present ''A Bird in the Nest'' in 1994, featuring 5 live instalments from nestbox cameras. King also co-presented ''Beachwatch'', a day of live broadcasts from a stretch of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

coastline, which aimed to show how wildlife responded to the changing tide. The live format was rested until 2003, when it was resurrected with Oddie, King and Kate Humble for '' Wild In Your Garden''. The following year, the show evolved into ''

Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie ''Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie'' is a live BBC TV show, broadcast nightly, Monday – Thursday, from 31 May 2004 to 17 June 2004. Following on from the previous year's '' Wild in Your Garden'', presenters Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon ...

'', and was identical to the later ''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch'' series in all but name.

Surveys and campaigns

From 2005 until 2007, the BBC ran a ''Springwatch'' survey in conjunction with the

Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tr ...

. Viewers were encouraged to record key events indicating the passage of spring, including the first sign of frogspawn, blossom on

hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

trees and the arrival of

swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

s. By comparing the results with previous years, the surveys established that spring was arriving sooner than average. The BBC are no longer involved in the annual survey (now called Nature's Calendar) but the results are still reported on the programme. It remains the largest survey of phenology in the world. A similar survey exists for ''Autumnwatch'', with the timing of the first

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

leaf tint, the ripening of

blackberries The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family (biology), family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus' ...

and the dropping of

conkers Conkers is a traditional children's game in Great Britain and Ireland played using the seeds of horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself. The game is played by two players, each with a conke ...

all being recorded. The BBC-led ''Breathing Places'' campaign was launched during ''Springwatch'' 2006. Awards are made to small projects across the country which aim to create small areas of wildlife-friendly habitat, particularly in cities. In the first three phases of the campaign, over £8.5 million of National Lottery funding has been awarded. Local councils and Wildlife Trusts are also involved in the partnership. ''Breathing Places'' evolved from an earlier BBC campaign called ''Make Space for Nature'', launched in 2004 to coincide with ''Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie''.

Series overview

''Springwatch''

Series 1 (2005)

The first series of ''Springwatch'' debuted on BBC Two on 30 May 2005, and finished on 16 June.

and

were based at Fishleigh Estate, an organic farm in north-west

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

(the same location had been used for the previous year's ''Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie''). Animals filmed included

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

s nesting in the barn,

blue tit The Eurasian blue tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognisable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident and non-migratory birds, ar ...

families in nestboxes and great spotted woodpeckers visiting bird feeders. Simon King visited three locations across the country; firstly, the Isle of Mull to watch

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diurnal raptors ...

s on a nest; secondly, the

London Wetland Centre WWT London Wetland Centre is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the Barnes area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest London, England, by Barn Elms. The site is formed of four disused Victorian re ...

to observe peregrine falcons and red foxes; and finally, the

Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide.

to view the seabird colonies and

grey seal The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or " ...

s. Over 150,000 sightings were reported in the ''Springwatch'' survey.

Series 2 (2006)

The second series of ''Springwatch'' was broadcast from 29 May to 15 June 2006.

and

again presented from the Fishleigh Estate farm, where more than 50 secret cameras were rigged up to film the day-to-day dramas of nesting birds including pied flycatchers, barn owls and dabchicks. The badgers only made a single live appearance in the whole three weeks. Pre-recorded films featured

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

s, capercaillies and

earwig Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forcep-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folde ...

s. In the Shetland Islands, Simon King followed a family of otters and a host of birds: puffins, great skuas,

oystercatcher The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The ...

s, merlins and

red-throated diver The red-throated loon (North America) or red-throated diver (Britain and Ireland) (''Gavia stellata'') is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. The most widely distributed member of the loon or diver family, it breeds prim ...

s. ''Springwatch'' also tracked

brent geese The brant or brent goose (''Branta bernicla'') is a small goose of the genus '' Branta''. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra. The Brent oilfield was named after ...

on their spring migration from

Strangford Lough Strangford Lough (from Old Norse ''Strangr Fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet"PlaceNames N ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

to their breeding grounds in Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, via stopovers in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

and

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

. Live

webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in videotelephony, livestreaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral ...

s around the country enabled viewers to follow animal stories on the ''Springwatch'' website. These included

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s at Loch Garten in Scotland,

red kite The red kite (''Milvus milvus'') is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds in the Western Palearctic region o ...

s at

Rockingham Forest Rockingham Forest is a former royal hunting forest in the county of Northamptonshire, England. It is an area of some lying between the River Welland and River Nene and the towns of Stamford and Kettering. It has a rich and varied landscape, wit ...

in the East Midlands and pipistrelle bats in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. A spin-off programme titled ''CBeebies Springwatch'' aired on the

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...

channel and ''Springwatch'' editions of ''

'' aired on the

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...

channel. The presenters were

Justin Fletcher Justin Fletcher (born 15 June 1970) is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter on the BBC pre-school television channel CBeebies. Speaking and performing in various, often self-created, roles, he specialises in slapstick c ...

, Nick Baker and

Series 3 (2007)

For the third series of ''Springwatch'', broadcast from 28 May to 14 June 2007 on BBC Two,

and

were again based at the Devon farm. Birds filmed live on their nests included swallows,

buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Eastern ...

jays A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...

, barn owls and

jackdaw Jackdaws are two species of bird in the genus ''Coloeus'' closely related to, but generally smaller than, the crows and ravens (''Corvus''). ''Coloeus'' is sometimes treated as a subgenus of ''Corvus'', including by the IUCN.Madge & Burn (1994) ...

s. Oddie had close encounters with an otter and a

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

on the

River Torridge The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England; it rises near Meddon. The river describes a long loop through Devon farming country where its tributaries the Lew and Okement join before meeting the Taw at Appledore and flowing into the Bristo ...

, which runs through the farm. Simon King travelled to the

Hebridean The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

island of Islay, where he filmed local specialities such as

red-billed chough The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough ( ; ''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax''), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus '' Pyrrhocorax''. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the w ...

s, corncrakes,

hen harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

s and common shelducks. The series also featured barn owl chicks at Cornwall's

Lost Gardens of Heligan The Lost Gardens of Heligan ( kw, Lowarth Helygen, meaning "willow tree garden") are located near Mevagissey in Cornwall, England and are considered to be amongst the most popular in the UK. The gardens are typical of the 19th century ...

, and cameras captured the moment when one chick killed and ate its younger sibling. Gordon Buchanan filmed urban red foxes in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

for a pre-recorded nightly diary segment. The 2007 series spawned more spin-offs on other BBC television channels, radio stations and the internet. ''Springwatch Nightshift'' broadcast two hours of live footage of badgers, owls and bats on BBC Two each night, and a half-hour weekly review programme aired on Friday evenings on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. ''CBeebies Springwatch'' returned to CBeebies for 2007 alongside ''Springwatch Trackers'', which aired on CBBC, presented live from the farm each morning by

Steve Backshall Stephen James Backshall (born 21 April 1973) is an English naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC TV's ''Deadly 60''. His other BBC work includes being part of the expedition teams in ''Lost Land of the Tiger'', ''Lo ...

and

Kirsten O'Brien Kirsten Lindsey O'Brien (born 23 February 1972) is an English television presenter and actress. She is perhaps best known for her work presenting for the BBC, including the popular CBBC art programme '' SMart'' from 1999 to 2009, and CBeebies ...

. A live outside broadcast from the ''Springwatch'' farm featured on

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 week ...

's BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on 13 June, and on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

, a special edition of ''

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

'' on 11 June answered listeners' questions about spring.

Series 4 (2008)

For the fourth series of ''Springwatch'', the production team moved to a new location at the

Pensthorpe Natural Park Pensthorpe Natural Park is located in Pensthorpe, Norfolk, England and is approximately one mile from Fakenham and close to the A1067 road. The park covers . The River Wensum, which runs through the site, is a designated Special Area of Conserva ...

due to a change of ownership at the Fishleigh Estate farm. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 26 May to 12 June.

and

watched local birds on the nest, including

little ringed plover The little ringed plover (''Charadrius dubius'') is a small plover. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in river ...

goldcrest The goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its English and scientific ...

s and

reed bunting The common reed bunting (''Emberiza schoeniclus'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Old German ''Embritz'', a ...

s, all new species for ''Springwatch''. Swallows, blue tits,

great tit The great tit (''Parus major'') is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of North Af ...

greenfinch The greenfinches are small passerine birds in the genus ''Chloris'' in the subfamily Carduelinae within the Fringillidae. The species have a Eurasian distribution except for the European greenfinch, which also occurs in North Africa. These fi ...

es,

pied wagtail The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toeho ...

s and robins were amongst the returning species. Simon King was based in the

Cairngorm National Park Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tro ...

, where he brought viewers footage of ospreys with chicks,

pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and parts of Iran, Iraq and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...

Scottish wildcat The Scottish wildcat is a European wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') Population (biology), population in Scotland. It was once widely distributed across Great Britain, but the population has declined drastically since the turn of the 20th ...

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...

and

crested tit The crested tit or European crested tit (''Lophophanes cristatus'') (formerly ''Parus cristatus''), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and north ...

s. The 2007 edition of ''CBeebies Springwatch'' was repeated that year and would be the final year the series would air, being scrapped in favour of ''

Green Balloon Club ''Green Balloon Club'' is a British children's factual television program that started on CBeebies on 20 June 2008. Format ''Green Balloon Club'' focuses on the adventures of four children - Jay, Cat, Lilly-Rose and Ant, as they travel throughou ...

''. The week after the main series ended, four ''Springwatch Specials'' were screened. Humble presented a programme on marine life, Oddie looked at garden wildlife, King focussed on spectacular British wildlife events and Gordon Buchanan met people who have interesting relationships with wildlife.

Series 5 (2009)

''Springwatch'' returned for its fifth series, broadcast from 25 May to 11 June 2009.

, who had left the programme for personal health reasons, was replaced as the series' co-anchor by

. He joined

for the show's second year based at Pensthorpe. Simon King toured locations across north and mid-Wales, viewing

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

's seabird colonies,

goshawk Goshawk may refer to several species of birds of prey, mainly in the genus ''Accipiter'': * Northern goshawk, ''Accipiter gentilis'', often referred to simply as the goshawk, since it is the only goshawk found in much of its range (in Europe and N ...

s and

s. His main challenge was to find and film a wild

polecat Polecat is a common name for several mustelid species in the order Carnivora and subfamilies Ictonychinae and Mustelinae. Polecats do not form a single taxonomic rank (i.e. clade). The name is applied to several species with broad similarities ...

. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan was based at a badger sett in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. Former producer

also joined the team to present a regular feature on conservation holidays, as well as co-hosting the spin-off ''Springwatch Unsprung'' programmes. The ''Springwatch'' website continued to host regularly updated blogs, message boards and webcams, as well as wildlife information. Over the course of the series, Packham privately set himself the challenge of inserting the titles of songs by

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

into the script for each episode. Three new ''Springwatch Specials'' aired after the main series had finished; King revealed some of the "tricks of the trade" of a wildlife cameraman in "Close Encounters"; Hughes-Games revealed Britain's best wildlife locations in "Holidays"; and Buchanan presented a compilation of viewers' videos in "Home Movies".

Series 6 (2010)

The BBC commissioned a special ''Snow Watch'' programme to show how wildlife was affected by the coldest winter weather for 35 years. The programme was created in just five days, and was broadcast on 13 January 2010 in place of a scheduled edition of ''

Natural World ''Natural World'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programmes broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history series. It is the longest-running documentary in its genre on British televis ...

''. The '' Points West'' studio was used for the indoor portion of the show and the normal theme music was replaced for the end credits with the song "Walk Out to Winter" by

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter, and only consistent member. Formed in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: ''High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Knife'' ( ...

. The sixth, three-week, 2010 edition of ''Springwatch'' began airing on BBC Two beginning on 31 May. It was preceded by three special editions, the first of which,

's ''Signs of Change'', about

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

, aired on 17 May. Others were shown on 19 and 20 May. The BBC supported the series with a Twitter account, @bbc_springwatch, using the hashtag #springwatch. Packham used a reference to

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

in each episode. Brett Westwood was among the participants in the series' bird race, and Bill Oddie made a guest appearance in the penultimate episode of the series. The series was followed on 20 June by a two-hour, live charity appeal tie-in, ''Wild Night In''. Broadcast from London Zoo, it was fronted by Humble, Packham and Hughes-Games, with pre-recorded segments, some featuring David Attenborough. A 90-minute "Springwatch Christmas Special" was broadcast on 29 December. Based at Chris Packham's house in the New Forest, the show included highlights from the 2010 series and specials, plus a number of new reports on topics that had hit the headlines during the year.

Series 7 (2011)

A ''Springwatch Easter Special'' was aired on 25 April 2011 and featured the return of Bill Oddie as a guest presenter. The full series, presented by

and

, started on Monday 30 May 2011 at 8pm on BBC 2 from a new venue, RSPB Ynys-hir in mid-Wales. During the first week

Charlie Hamilton James Charlie Hamilton James (born July 1973) is an English photographer, television cameraman and presenter, specialising in wildlife subjects. He started his career at 16, working on David Attenborough's ''The Trials of Life''. His work has since b ...

presented daily updates on the reintroduction of beavers to the United Kingdom. At the end of week one Charlie was set the task of filming beavers live; he succeeded. During week two,

broadcast from Skomer Island. He was filming puffins and during the week introduced a new webcam. The presenter for week three was Liz Bonnin, at Pitsea Landfill site, filming foxes. She was set the task of filming live foxes, and succeeded. The series closed with a montage of clips of the cast "singing" the Tom Jones song

It's Not Unusual "It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after having first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with hi ...

, whose lyrics had been surreptitiously inserted into the script over the three-week run. A Christmas Special was broadcast on Boxing Day, 26 December, recorded at Ynys-Hir and presented by Strachan, Packham, Hughes-Games and Humble, and featuring guest appearances by Chris Watson and others as well as a newly filmed sequence from

Series 8 (2012)

Springwatch returned to BBC Two and

BBC HD BBC HD was a 24-hour high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 26 March 2013. It broadcast ...

on 28 May 2012, live and direct from Ynys-hir RSPB reserve in Wales for three weeks, Monday to Thursday.

and

will present the show, with Kate Humble being replaced by Autumnwatch Live presenter

. A summer special was announced on the final episode of Springwatch 2012, and ''Springwatch Guide to Sea Birds'' was broadcast on 23 August 2012. Chris Packham secretly introduced the titles of 49 songs and albums by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

into his presentations.

Series 9 (2013)

The 2013 series of ''Springwatch'' returned on 27 May, and once again was broadcast live for three weeks from RSPB Ynys Hir.

and

, returned to present, with Iolo Williams as a roving reporter. A new show called ''Springwatch in the Afternoon'' was broadcast across the first two weeks, hosted by Nick Baker, which was broadcast live on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Chris Packham sneaked in references to song titles by

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

in his presentations.

Series 10 (2014)

In 2014 ''Springwatch'' celebrated its tenth anniversary by moving to a new base at RSPB Minsmere in North Suffolk. The series was broadcast on BBC Two, online and the Red Button for three weeks from 26 May to 12 June 2014. ''Springwatch Unsprung'', hosted by Baker, was shown after the main programme, online and on the BBC Red Button from Mondays to Wednesdays and on BBC Two on Thursdays.

returned as the regular roving reporter, broadcasting live from the west coast of Scotland. Special features included cameraman

Doug Allan Douglas Allan (born 1951) is a Scottish wildlife cameraman and photographer best known for his work in polar regions and underwater. Biography Allan is one of twin brothers born in Dunfermline in Scotland, the son of a photographer and photojo ...

's underwater footage of grey seals on Lundy, a report on how the wildlife of the Somerset Levels was affected by the winter floods and updates on the latest research into urban foxes and cuckoo migration.

Series 11 (2015)

A special one-off ''Springwatch at Easter'' aired on 3 April 2015. The series returned to RSPB Minsmere on 25 May 2015, with 12 episodes over the next 3 weeks.

Series 12 (2016)

''Springwatch'' aired in 2016 between 30 May and 16 June live from RSPB Minsmere.

Series 13 (2017)

A special one-off ''Springwatch in Japan: Cherry Blossom Time'' aired on 21 April 2017 and was presented by regular hosts Chris Packham & Michaela Strachan and guest presenter James Wong. The farmland of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire became the new host site for the main ''Springwatch'' series. The programme gained a new host,

Series 14 (2018)

''Springwatch'', again from Sherborne Park, ran for three weeks, starting on Monday 28 May with a 90-minute extended edition. Martin Hughes-Games was not involved, being replaced by a number of guest presenters, the first of which was

. Iolo Williams appeared in week two, with Lucy Cooke and Patrick Aryee scheduled for the final week.

Series 15 (2019)

''Springwatch'' was broadcast from a new site near Nethy Bridge on the edge of the Abernethy Forest in the Cairngorms National Park. Packham, Strachan and Burke continued as presenters and were joined by Iolo Williams.

Series 16 (2020)

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the 2020 series, starting on 25 May, did not come from a central base. Instead each presenter appeared from a location near their home, respecting government guidelines on

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...

. Packham – joined occasionally by his step-daughter Megan McCubbin, a zoologist – was in the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, fea ...

, Williams in

Montgomeryshire , HQ= Montgomery , Government= Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974)Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin= , Status= , Start= , End= ...

, and Burke in

. Although she sent a video message from her home in South Africa, Strachan was unable to return to the UK to participate.

was guest presenter during the first week, from his home on

the Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, with

, presenting from Loch Lomond National Park in week two, and Ellie Harrison in the Golden Valley, near Stroud, in week three. Some films from previous years were re-screened. Additional material was made available on the BBC's

iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services de ...

service. The first Thursday episode started – at 8pm – with the presenters joining the national " Clap for Our Carers", except for Burke, due to her proximity to wild beavers.

Series 17 (2021)

Packham and Strachan broadcast from the Wild Ken Hill

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

in Norfolk, while Iolo Williams was based at Alladale Wilderness Reserve, Scotland. Gillian Burke was at WWT

Castle Espie Castle Espie is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) on the banks of Strangford Lough, three miles south of Comber, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the townland of the same name. It is part of the Strangford Lough ...

, Northern Ireland.

Series 18 (2022)

Packham and Strachan again broadcast from Wild Ken Hill sustainable agriculture in Norfolk; McCubbin did a roadtrip through northern England, visiting

Kielder Forest Kielder Forest is a large forestry plantation in Northumberland, England, surrounding Kielder village and the Kielder Water reservoir. It is the largest man-made woodland in England with three-quarters of its covered by forest. The majority o ...

, Hauxley Nature Reserve and Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Williams was again on the Isle of Mull; Gillian Burke did not appear, having also missed ''Winterwatch'' 2022.

''Autumnwatch''

Special (2005)

The success of the first series of ''Springwatch'' led to the BBC and the

collaborating once again to launch an appeal for sightings of the approach of autumn. The results of the first ''Autumnwatch'' survey were presented by Bill Oddie in a one-off programme in November 2005 entitled ''Wild Autumn with Bill Oddie''.

Series 1 (2006)

For 2006, ''Autumnwatch'' was extended to a two-week series, broadcast from 2–12 October. Oddie and Kate Humble were based at

wetland reserve in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, where they awaited the arrival of local wild swans and the return of the brent geese to Northern Island. King watched the

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

rut on the island of Rùm. In addition, cameraman

filmed a nightly grey seal diary from the Monarch Islands. British viewers could submit their sightings of natural autumn events on the ''Autumnwatch'' website, and the findings were developed into an online map showing the progression of autumn events across the country. This showed a correlation with temperature. Much like with ''Springwatch'', a spin-off show for

aired, titled ''CBeebies Autumnwatch''.

Series 2 (2007)

''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast later in the year than the previous series, from 5 to 14 November. Oddie and Humble were based at Martin Mere as for the previous year, but this time King toured some of Britain's best places for viewing wildlife. There were daily pre-recorded sequences from the deer rut in Rùm which had taken place earlier in the season. Instead of airing a new series, the 2006 ''CBeebies Autumnwatch'' season was repeated, which caused some parents to complain to the BBC.

Series 3 (2008)

For ''Autumnwatch'' 2008, broadcast from 27 October – 6 November, Oddie and Humble were based at

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust with the northern half managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and ...

, one of the few places in southern England where red squirrels can still be seen. King visited a variety of locations around the country, beginning with three days watching

fallow deer ''Dama'' is a genus of deer in the subfamily Cervinae, commonly referred to as fallow deer. Name The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour. The Latin word ''dāma'' or ''damma'', used for roe deer, gazelles, and antelopes ...

Petworth Park Petworth Park at Petworth, Sussex was used as the venue for three first-class cricket matches between 1824 and 1826.muntjac Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...

Birmingham Airport Birmingham Airport , formerly ''Birmingham International Airport'', is an international airport located east-southeast of Birmingham city centre, west-northwest of Coventry slightly north of Bickenhill village, in the Metropolitan Borou ...

. He then followed up sightings of otters in a

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

canal, but although his team found traces of the animals, they didn't manage to film them. During the second week he watched ravens on

and made two live dives off the south coast of England, managing to find and film a

conger eel ''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during ...

. Gordon Buchanan travelled to the Farne Islands to film the grey seal colony during the pupping season. Attempts to communicate with Oddie and Humble via a live satellite link, were thwarted on several occasions by bad weather conditions. Additional content was made available on the ''Autumnwatch'' website, including live webcams, extra videos and a blog.

Series 4 (2009)

In a change from the usual format, the 2009 series of ''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast once a week every Friday for eight weeks. Executive producer Tim Scoones attributed the change to the popularity of the series' multiplatform formats, such as its

group. The series ran from 2 October to 20 November 2009. Packham and Humble were based at the

headquarters in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, but owing to the late hour of broadcast, all wildlife footage was prerecorded.

Series 5 (2010)

The 2010 ''Autumnwatch'' series was broadcast every Thursday from 7 October for 8 weeks. It was once again based at from the

in Bristol. Simon King did not participate, and was replaced by a variety of reporters who took his slot each week.

Series 6 (2011)

Autumnwatch returned with a new name, ''Autumnwatch Live'' on 7 October 2011. For the first four weeks it was presented from the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, and for the final four weeks, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge reserve, by

, Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games. Each week there was a guest presenter who focused on one particular aspect of the British countryside. These included Bill Oddie. Kate Humble did not participate due to other projects.

Series 7 (2012)

The 2012 series of ''Autumnwatch'' started on 30 October 2012 and ran for 4 consecutive days. It was being broadcast live from the Aigas Field Centre in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

. Iolo Williams reported on golden eagles from the Outer Hebrides. John Lister-Kaye, owner of the field centre, also appeared. The final episode was followed by a half-hour ''Unsprung'' programme.

Series 8 (2013)

''Autumnwatch'' returned on 29 October for four nights from a new location at

RSPB Leighton Moss Leighton Moss RSPB reserve is a nature reserve in Lancashire, England, which has been in the care of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds since 1964. It is situated at Silverdale near Carnforth, on the edge of Morecambe Bay and in the ...

, with Unsprung following the final episode. A new live show ''Autumnwatch Extra'' aired on the red button and online each day.

Series 9 (2014)

''Autumnwatch'' 2014 returned to Leighton Moss, Lancashire, with companion ''Extra'' and ''Unsprung'' strands and webcams.

Series 10 (2015)

''Autumnwatch'' aired between 2 and 5 November 2015.

Series 11 (2016)

''Autumnwatch'' moved to RSPB Arne in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

Series 12 (2017)

The farmland of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire became the host site for ''Autumnwatch''. The programme gained a new field reporter,

Series 13 (2018)

''Autumnwatch'' moved outside the UK for the first time, being broadcast from a site on the shores of

Squam Lake Squam Lake is a lake located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, south of the White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties. The largest town center on the lake is Holderness. Th ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

, United States, on four consecutive evenings from Monday 15 October. Packham and Strachan were joined by

Series 14 (2019)

''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast from a new site near Nethy Bridge on the edge of the Abernethy Forest in the Cairngorms National Park. Packham, Strachan and Burke continued as presenters and were joined by Iolo Williams.

Series 15 (2020)

''Autumnwatch'' was broadcast from four locations: Iolo Williams at the Centre for Alternative Technology near

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a pop ...

; Michaela Strachan at Tenstmuir, Fife; Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin in the

; and Gillian Burke at RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor,

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

Series 16 (2021)

Packham and Strachan broadcast from the Wild Ken Hill

in Norfolk, Megan McCubbin was on the Isle of Mull, while Gillian Burke was at WWT

, Northern Ireland. The series was four episodes, and Iolo Williams did not appear; the programme was moved to accommodate

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

broadcasts, and Williams was scheduled to lead walks of the Isle of Mull on the days it was broadcasting; he appeared in one prerecorded segment.

Series 17 (2022)

Packham and Strachan broadcast from the Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk, while Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke were at the Teifi Marshes and

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geo ...

. Featured creatures included '' Nigma walckenaeri'',

edible dormouse ''Glis'' is a genus of rodent that contains two extant species, both known as edible dormice or fat dormice: the European edible dormouse ''(Glis glis'') and the Iranian edible dormouse (''Glis persicus''). It also contains a number of fossil spec ...

and

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

''Winterwatch''

Special (2012)

A one-off, hour-long ''Winterwatch'' was broadcast by the BBC on 22 February 2012, presented from the Brecon Beacons by

, and

, with filmed segments by

, Maya Plass,

and Chris Watson.

Series 1 (2013)

A four-day ''Winterwatch'' aired between 14 and 17 January 2013, again from Aigas, with an ''Unsprung'' programme following the final episode. Following that, there was a Winterwatch special, ''Winterwatch 1963 – The Big Freeze'', that was broadcast on 19 January.

Series 2 (2014)

''Winterwatch'' returned to BBC Two between 20 and 23 January 2014, broadcast live from the

Mar Lodge Estate Mar Lodge Estate is a highland estate in western Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) since 1995. Its principal building, Mar Lodge, is about west of the village of Braemar. The estat ...

in Aberdeenshire, with Unsprung following the final episode hosted by Nick Baker. There was a special ''Winterwatch Extra: Garden Birds Special'' on the

BBC Red Button BBC Red Button is a brand used for digital interactive television services provided by the BBC, and broadcast in the United Kingdom. The services replaced Ceefax, the BBC's analogue teletext service. BBC Red Button's text services were due to c ...

and online from 24 to 26 January 2014 hosted by Euan McIlwraith and Richard Taylor-Jones, from various locations around

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

Series 3 (2015)

''Winterwatch'' returned to BBC Two between 19 and 22 January 2015, again broadcast live from the

in Aberdeenshire.

Series 4 (2016)

The programme was broadcast live from the Mar Lodge Estate between 26 and 29 January 2016.

Series 5 (2017)

''Winterwatch'' moved to RSPB Arne in

and was broadcast for four evenings from 23 January.

Series 6 (2018)

''Winterwatch'' was broadcast from Sherborne Park, over four evenings, starting on Monday 29 January, with contributions from

on the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides.

Series 7 (2019)

''Winterwatch'' was broadcast over four evenings, starting on 29 January, from a new site near Nethy Bridge on the edge of the Abernethy Forest in the Cairngorms National Park. Packham, Strachan and Burke continued as presenters and were joined by Iolo Williams.

Series 8 (2020)

''Winterwatch'' was broadcast over four evenings, starting on Tuesday 28 January, from the same site as the previous series.

Series 9 (2021)

''Winterwatch'' began again on 19 January and was broadcast from the presenters' home areas: Iolo Williams at the Centre for Alternative Technology; Chris Packham and

Megan McCubbin Megan McCubbin (born 1995) is an English zoologist, conservationist, photographer and television presenter. Biography McCubbin has dyslexia and took Environmental Studies at A-Level. A foundation year in Biological Science led her to study Z ...

in the

; and Gillian Burke at the Cornish beaver reintroduction project. It was shown Tuesday to Friday for two weeks. Michaela Strachan was still in lockdown in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and was not presenting, but made a guest appearance on a pre-recorded video chat with

. Sea swimmer Katie Maggs also appeared.

Series 10 (2022)

The same three locations were used as in ''Autumnwatch'' 2021: Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan at Wild Ken Hill;

at WWT Castle Espie, County Down; and Iolo Williams on the Isle of Mull. Gillian Burke does not appear live due to personal commitments, but supplies some material recorded in the Cotswolds and

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

. The poet Robert Macfarlane also features.

Presenters

''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch''

Following Simon King's departure in 2010, the role of field reporter was filled by various guest presenters; notably

Liz Bonnin Elizabeth Bonnin (born 16 September 1976) is a French science, wildlife and natural history presenter, who has worked on television in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. She presented morning show '' RI:SE'' and music show ''Top of the Pops'' ...

and

. He was eventually replaced by Gillian Burke seven years later.

''Winterwatch'' and other editions

Other presenters involved in the programmes include Roy Dennis, Johnny Kingdom, Leah Gooding, Richard Taylor-Jones, Chris Watson, Doug Allan, Andrew Agnew/PC Plum,

Sidney Sloane Sidney Sloane (born Gary Gibson; 7 June 1967) is a British actor and television presenter. Born to Afro-Caribbean parents, he grew up in the Wandsworth and Wimbledon borders of South London. He attended Southmead Primary School and John R.C ...

, Nick Baker (presenter of ''Springwatch in the Afternoon'' in 2013 and ''Springwatch Unsprung'' in 2014), Euan McIlwraith and Brett Westwood (co-presenters of ''Springwatch Extra'' in 2014). In the 2018 edition of Springwatch, several guest presenters rotated the role alongside Packham and Strachan, including Steve Backshall, Iolo Williams, Lucy Cooke and Patrick Aryee. For ''Winterwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch 2019'' all four presenters were in the same location, with no field reporter. For ''Springwatch 2019''

was a field reporter for episodes 1 to 11, returning to the main studio for the last show (episode 12).

Locations

''Unsprung''

Beginning with the fifth series ''Springwatch'' in 2009, the ''Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch'' series have been accompanied by a live ''Unsprung'' programme, a half-hour show that airs once a week and answers viewers' wildlife questions, along with audience surveys and "

pub quiz A pub quiz is a quiz held in a pub or bar. These events are also called quiz nights, trivia nights, or bar trivia and may be held in other settings. Pub quizzes may attract customers to a pub who are not found there on other days. The pub quiz i ...

zes" filmed in the main studio.

Book

''Springwatch and Autumnwatch'' was published by

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

in April 2007, and features content from all the regular presenters to that date.

Music

The theme music was commissioned by the BBC from independent composer

, and was nominated for a Royal Television Society award in 2007.

Environment

In January 2021, Winterwatch began using

hydrogen fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

technology to power their outside broadcast truck instead of diesel. They also incorporated batteries into the power supply for their three live presenter locations to reduce their fuel consumption.

Awards and nominations

* "Best Pre-school Live Action Series" awarded to ''CBeebies Springwatch'' at the 2006

BAFTA Children's Awards The British Academy Children's Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). They have been awarded annually since 1996, before which time they were a part of the main British Aca ...

. (Producers: Clare Bradley & Tony Reed; Director: Aliex Yuill) * ''Springwatch'' nominated for Best Title Theme at the Royal Television Society Awards in 2007 (Composer:

) * ''Cbeebies Autumn Watch'' nominated for ''Best Children's Live-Action Series'' at the 2007 BAFTA Children's Awards. (Producers: Clare Bradley & Helen Darrington; Directors: Lotte Elwell & Susannah Udall) *

2021 British Academy Television Awards The 2021 British Academy Television Awards were held on 6 June 2021, to recognise the excellence in British television of 2020. The nominees were announced along with the nominees for the 2021 British Academy Television Craft Awards on 28 April 2 ...

(television BAFTAs): British Academy Television Award for Best Live Event, awarded to ''Springwatch 2020'' (BBC Studios Natural History Unit and

The Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study o ...

)

References

External links

*
Autumnwatch website

Winterwatch website

Feature article
in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', June 2005 * {{BBC Natural History Unit 2000s British documentary television series 2010s British documentary television series 2020s British documentary television series 2005 British television series debuts Television series about animals BBC television documentaries English-language television shows Television series by BBC Studios